• Assange awaits court ruling on extradition fight

UK court rejects appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against extradition to Sweden, media reports said Wednesday.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange attended court in London on Wednesday to hear whether he will be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault.

The Australian-born head of the whistle-blowing website has been fighting a legal battle since his arrest in London on a European arrest warrant in December last year.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lost his appeal to block his extradition to Sweden to face questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations, the High Court in London said Wednesday.

The 40-year-old Australian was arrested in Britain in December and was appealing against a lower court ruling in February that he should be sent to Sweden.

The enigmatic WikiLeaks boss has been living under strict bail conditions, including having to wear an electronic ankle tag and observe a strict curfew, at the east-England mansion of supporter and former army captain Vaughan Smith.

The former hacker caught the world's attention when WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of classified diplomatic files allegedly obtained by a US serviceman who is now in prison in the United States.